This beautiful, gluten-free confection highlights swirled layers of scrumptious meringue (rather than sponge cake) and homemade lemon curd. A dreamy vanilla whipped cream is prettily piped on top. We were served a similar dessert at the Museum of Royal Worcester in England and couldn’t wait to replicate it in our test kitchen.
Lemon Meringue Roulade
Makes 1 (9-inch) roulade
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lemon Curd (recipe follows)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Garnish: confectioners’ sugar and lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with gluten-free baking spray. Line with parchment paper, and spray parchment with gluten-free baking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment at high speed until thick, egg whites lighten in color, and soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch.
- With mixer running, gradually add sugar mixture to egg-white mixture, beating at high speed until combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
- Bake until meringue is lightly browned and firm to the touch, approximately 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. (Meringue will puff up considerably and may have some bubbles but will settle as it cools).
- Run a knife around edges of pan to release sides of meringue. Invert meringue onto a clean piece of parchment paper. Gently peel off and discard parchment paper. Spread Lemon Curd over meringue, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Using parchment paper to assist, gently lift, tuck, and roll up meringue in a jelly roll fashion into a log, starting with a short side.
- In a medium bowl, beat together cream and vanilla bean paste at medium-high speed until medium peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a medium open star tip (Ateco #826). Place roulade on a serving platter.
- Just before serving, garnish with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Pipe whipped cream on top of roulade. Garnish with lemon zest, if desired.
- Using a long, serrated knife in a gentle, sawing motion, trim approximately ½ inch from each end of roulade. Serve immediately.
Notes
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: Meringue can be baked 1 to 2 hours ahead of time and kept at room temperature in a dry area or an airtight container. We recommend not assembling the roulade any earlier than 1 hour before serving. To prevent meringue from weeping, keep it at room temperature.
Lemon Curd
Makes approximately ¾ cup
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon packed fresh lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cubed
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add egg yolks and egg, one at a time, whisking vigorously to combine. Whisk in lemon juice, 3 tablespoons water, lemon zest, and salt until completely combined and no clumps remain. Bring lemon mixture to a gentle boil over a medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and is slightly translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Whisk in butter, a piece at a time, until incorporated.
- Cover curd with plastic wrap, pressing down to touch surface of curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours, and use within a week.
